Miraz Jordan

We don’t often see starfish on our beach which doesn’t have the rockpools they may more usually be found in. This morning though I saw one (or maybe two — photos from different stages of my walk). They are the native Eleven-Armed Sea Star, Coscinasterias Calamaria.

In February 2022 @patrickrhone linked to the Meat/Less newsletter course. I’d wanted to reduce the amount of meat I eat and took up one suggestion the course made to eat vegetarian on weekdays. I’ve mainly done that now for a while and it’s working well. Thanks Patrick 😀

Back in January of 2022 a huge branch from a 40 year old pine tree on a neighbour’s property fell down for no apparent reason. Last month they cut down the whole tree. Yesterday, by invitation, I gathered small branches, pine cones and several loads of mulch.

In the Northern hemisphere Christmas in December is a midwinter holiday, bringing hope and the renewal of the light when life is dark and cold. In the Southern hemisphere the December timing makes no sense as we enjoy long hot days.

In Aotearoa New Zealand there is a long grind of months of winter from the Queen’s Birthday weekend at the start of June to Labour Day at the end of October.

Now, at last, we have a midwinter holiday to mark the transition from old year to new, based on the culture of the people indigenous to this country and on astronomy: Matariki public holiday passes into law.

Matariki brings a focus on remembering those who have died, celebrating the present, and looking ahead to the future and the coming season, though the stories told, traditions honoured ….

The celebration is underpinned by values of aroha (love), whakamaharatanga (remembrance), kotahitanga (unity), manaakitanga (caring), tohatoha (sharing), mana taiao (environmental awareness), hākari (feasting), wānanga (discussion), noho tahi (coming together), atawhaitanga (kindness), whakanui (celebrations) and tuakiritanga (identity).

The bill is only the fifth piece of legislation drafted in both te reo Māori and English.

The other day I was reading a book set on a cruise ship on the Rhine in Germany. At one point the characters did some interesting sightseeing tour and I flashed back to the year I spent in Düsseldorf am Rhein in 1976. I didn't do nearly enough exploring, finding sights, learning what I should see and visiting. I didn't tour much to other nearby or more distant places either.

Now, some 45 years later, I see that as perhaps a wasted opportunity. Why didn't I go further afield?

As I thought about it a bit I realised I should give myself some leeway. For one thing, I was 21 at the time. Who knows anything when they're 21? It's easy to look back decades later and make judgements.

I'd led a sheltered life, in a family not known for 'doing things'. It wasn't exactly 'in my blood' to go exploring and adventuring. And actually, travelling to the other side of the world, on my own, was a big adventure in its own right. [With a degree in University-style German I spent a good 3 months feeling like a nun under a vow of silence. I'd learned to critique Goethe auf deutsch but couldn't ask how to find the toilet or the cost of a pair of jeans.]

It wasn't like I never went anywhere either. I travelled by car with friends from university to France and Spain at one point.

But just keeping myself alive in a foreign country was actually the big adventure.

Then I thought about information. Today when I want to find out something my first port of call is the Internet. You can find out anything (pretty much) on the Internet, and one thing leads to another to another. The information available is easily overwhelming. The skill is to sift and sort and judge the masses of information.

Have I already forgotten that in 1976 when only a few hundreds (or maybe thousands) of people even knew that the Internet, or its precursors, existed you needed skill and knowledge to figure out how to find out anything in the first place?

In 1976 if I wanted to learn about sights to see in and around Düsseldorf I would have to first work out *where* I might find that information. Perhaps an encyclopedia or a guide book. Then I would have to source a book like that. That may well require a trip to a Library or bookshop. How would I get to that place? How would I afford the cost? How long might I have to wait for the book to be ordered in?

I could go to the library and ask a librarian — they were once the keepers of all knowledge, of course. But perhaps the encyclopedia would be in use by another library user, or the guide book might be out on loan.

Or perhaps I could locate a person who had visited Düsseldorf? How would I do that? Where would I find them? How would I approach them to talk to me and share their knowledge?

The World Wide Web was invented a little over 30 years ago, making the previously difficult to use and primarily academic Internet a matter of pointing and clicking. Even then it was another decade or so before it really came into its own.

I spent the first two thirds of my life in an environment where information was difficult to come by, requiring skills in even knowing where to start to look to find answers.

Now I take it for granted that if some minor, major, obscure or other bit of information is needed to make my day complete all I have to do is type and click to have it in front of me in seconds.

How readily we adapt to change. 21-year-old Miraz was doing her best with what she knew and what she had available. I won't judge my younger self too harshly after all.

Bonus photo.

It feels like it’s been forever since I took a healthy dog to the vet for routine stuff. 🐶 Sasha’s teeth need some attention, so she’s booked in for a procedure next week. It’s great to see Sasha so well these days, even though she’s blind, deaf, arthritic and a bit bewildered.

Interesting: Trying to Keep Aging Neurons Healthy and Growing:

That set me on a tentative and then growing effort to become creative in the ways I approached ordinary elements of my daily living. Now this was something quite different.

Deb, leaving for work, told me to get out of bed and look at the sunrise. it was worth it. 😎

Deb and I enjoyed Dream Horse 🎬 :

the true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely race horse bred by Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With very little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbours to chip in their earnings … The group’s investment pays off…

Photo

I like to do my beach walks at dawn, when the sun just catches the tips of the waves.

We see some excellent sights from our lounge window, like the two Air Force Hercules aircraft that just flew past really low. Air Force marks 85 years of service to New Zealand.

Scenes from this morning’s dawn walk.

A hard but powerful read: This is How You Died | The Order of the Good Death:

A physician who worked on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic addresses an auditorium she imagines is full of her patients who died.

My first attempt at a Chocolate Mini Loaf Cake, which thought it was maybe a volcano! Tasted good though!

I can’t believe how many times I need to correct a Post or Reply after publishing. Thank you so much @manton for making it easy to do that! 🙌🏼